An energy expert has sought to reassure landlords that they may not need to spend huge sums retrofitting their properties to raise EPC ratings at least not in the short term. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://upload
Just as residential landlords are contemplating the costs of bringing older properties up to the proposed new standard - very likely EPC band C� required by December 2025 - so too are commercial landlords.<br> See: https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/compulsory-epc
Compulsory EPC band C by 2025 causing confusion There have been recent confusing reports put out that from 2025, all newly rented properties in England & Wales will be required to have an EPC rating of band C or above. This is somewhat misleading and jum
LandlordZONE sits down with one of Londons most prolific but little-known landlords who has spent 30 years amassing a huge portfolio in the East End and West End areas of the capital. For reasons of privacy, and a desire to remain behind the scenes, he doesnt want to
So, we ended 2021 after twenty-one months since the first Covid lockdown with the new variant, Omicron, spreading fast, and with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland putting in stricter measures and speculation that England may follow with an announcement early in the New Year.
An example of the difficulty of prediction is the conclusion to a detailed study recently published on the private rented sector by the London School of Economics (a study commissioned by the NRLA) Individually and cumulatively, the recent tax changes
A lettings agency boss and landlord has been slapped with a �40,700 Rent Repayment Officer despite claiming that his failure to licence an HMO was an honest mistake. A First Tier Property Tribunal handed five former tenants the maximum award for the period from September 2019 t
Scotland’s Housing Bill proposes rent controls, winter eviction bans, pet rights & tougher eviction penalties in private sector overhaul.
Bristol has approved plans to extend landlord licensing in Brislington West, Bedminster and Horfield wards in a bid to raise PRS standards. The scheme includes additional licensing - HMOs with three or more unrelated people sharing facilities and selective licensing - privat
Durham County Council's selective licensing scheme covers 29,000 homes, requiring landlords to apply by 31 July for a £350–£500 licence fee.
This is a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman case involving an unnamed landlord (LandlordX or MrX) and Brentwood Borough Council. The case revolves around a common situation where the landlord required possession of the property after serving a valid section 21 notice un
I've been in the property investment business for almost 30 years and during this period opportunities have come and gone but I've yet to discover an asset class that perf
Ever since I started to market one of my commercial buildings around 10 years ago now, I began to doubt the efficacy of the EPC rating system. The guy that came along to do the inspection told me himself he had just completed a 6 week course, or whatever it was, to train to be a
Social and private landlords are to face tougher new rules which make it mandatory to fit smoke alarms in all rented accommodation regardless of tenure, and widen the conditions under which they must be fitted. Revisions to the smoke and carbon monoxide detector regulations also
If you had �50k to invest right now, where would you put it, buy-to-let property or stocks and shares? Certainly leaving it in a traditional savings account, with interest rates as they are at rock bottom, thats out of the question. And with the threat of rising inflation ea
Research carried out by LandlordZONEs insurance partner, Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance, revealed that the vast majority of landlords, https://hamiltonfraser.co.uk/knowledge/good-landlord-quiz-results/?utm_source=landlordzone&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=lz_november
The move to provide home heating and hot water by this method is part of a Government strategy aimed at making deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing the UK's power sector by 2035. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the scheme was designed to bring low-carbon hea
Tenants facing eviction in England are to be protected from losing their homes during the Christmas and New Year period, HM Courts and Tribunal has confirmed. Between 13th December and 10th January no evictions should be s
https://www.skipton.co.uk/" Skipton has launched a new mortgage specifically for renters who can now buy a house without needing a deposit. Tenants who can evidence affordability and have a strong track record of rental payments can borrow up to 100% of a prop
Thousands of private landlords have started selling their properties ahead of government changes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regulations. More than 65,000 rental properties went up for sale in the first three months of the year, 36,460 of which had an EPC rating of
Public information campaigns are needed to raise awareness of the consequences of not turning the heating on as often in rented properties, says the NRLA. When quizzing 2,000 tenants in England and Wales about the impact rising utility bills have had on their household budget, t
A survey of almost 700 landlords, carried out by BVA BDRC for Paragon, reveals that that 67% of landlord respondents had experienced higher than usual tenant demand during the first three months of this year. This, according to Paragon, represents a new all-time high and up from 65% reco
According to the findings of recent research commissioned by infinitSpace, in partnership with The Instant Group, the majority of UK office landlords have not made any concrete plans to improve the energy efficiency ratings of their buildings they do not have any form of sustainability
In https://www.totallandlordinsurance.co.uk/knowledge-centre/propertymarks-perspective-on-lettings-the-property-cast-total-landlord-insurance?utm_source=landlordzone&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=propertymark+podcast+may+2023" target="_blank" this episode of T
Buy-to-let mortgage searches were down 23% in April compared to the previous month, while investors have been putting down larger deposits as high-interest rates bite. Research by https://www.twenty7tec.com/" target="_blank" Twenty7tec shows that average loan-
Government policy should move away from thinking that social housing and home ownership are good while private landlords are bad if it is to solve the rental stock and rent costs crisis. That's the view of a new report from Cambridge University Land Society which says this mi
Nearly one in five Conservative MPs are currently landlords, according to research by campaign group 38 Degrees, a surprising figure given the Government's anti-landlord stance in recent years. The study counted 87 MP landlords more than 13% of the Commons of whom 53 cla
Landlords in one of London's biggest boroughs now need planning permission to convert family homes into HMOs for three to six tenants. After a year-long pilot and consultation with residents, the London Borough of Hounslow (main picture) has made its borough-wide A
Mortgage troubles spark surge in portfolio landlords selling up—explore what’s driving the exodus and what it means for the rental sector.
Government officials have reassured private landlords that judges will be able to consider a wider range of behaviours before using their judicial discretion in ASB eviction cases. Giving evidence to the Levelling Up Housing and Communities Committee into
Almost 250,000 BTL landlords face refinancing losses as borrowing rates near 7%, says Daily Telegraph.
The Governments Renters Reform Bill is unlikely to make progress through parliament until much later this year, housing minister Rachel Maclean has admitted. Maclean was unable to confirm when the bill would get a second reading during a Q&A with MPs from the Levelling Up
A team of independent fact checkers and campaigners has debunked Labours claims that most renters live in homes bought with a buy-to-let mortgage. Deputy leader Angela Rayner made the assertion last week, but charity Full Fact says the claim is technically incorrect, as it ho
A letting agency-owning landlord has been fined more than £17,000 for renting out one small room in an HMO to a family of five. Ruhul Shamsuddin and his company Lordsons Estates were found guilty of 23 housing offences relating to a
The Bank of England has warned that landlords with mortgages are under increasing strain from higher interest payments and other structural factors, all of which are likely to put pressure on their incomes�. The commentary is within the banks latest https:
Landlords arrears are growing at a faster rate than homeowners, according to new research that suggests fewer investors are being shielded from economic headwinds. https://www.octanecapital.co.uk/" Octane Capital found that buy-to-let arrears of more tha
Five tenants have shared a whopping �29,000 Rent Repayment Order after their landlord failed to licence its HMO. East London-based https://www.facebook.com/weletroomsuk/" We Let Rooms Ltd did not defend itself at a First Tier Property T
Corporate student housing giant expands as private HMO landlords exit, amid growing demand for purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA).
Landlord leader Ben Beadle has given Shelter a run for its money during a parliamentary committee evidence session on the Renters (Reform) Bill. Beadle, who is chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, wondered out loud during the meeting whether campaig
Changes in tax rules for buy-to-let landlords have definitely made the business of letting property more challenging, particularly with those who have taken on big mortgages to buy their rental properties. The removal of mortgage interest relief (Section 24 of the Finance Act) a
An Essex landlord has learned the hard way that unpicking rent-to-rent or guaranteed rent agreements can be a lot more difficult than many might believe. In a case handled by the Resolution Department Lead Suzy Hershman (main picture) and her team at
London letting agent fined £8,000 for misleading tenants and using intimidation tactics; company dissolved.
Jerseys private landlords have urged lawmakers to rethink radical plans to shake up the sector which they fear will exacerbate the housing crisis. The Jersey Landlords Association (https://www.jla.je/" JLA ) has
Landlords should give renters some of their equity gains when they sell up to stop the giant tenant rip-off, according to https://www.bigissue.com/ The Big Issue boss John Bird (main picture). Bird b
One hundred percent of letting agencies in Scotland say they have seen more landlords exiting the market since the countrys government brought in and then recently-extended a rent rise cap and evictions ban. Agents canvassed by trade organisation Propertymark also reported an
A consultation has opened into proposals not to charge landlords who are preparing a property to let or waiting to find a tenant the empty homes a council tax premium. The government wants to strengthen the existing long-term empty homes premium by applying this to properties th
UK house prices fell by 3.1pc on an annualised basis in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023 and an increase in interest rates have a dampening effect on the market. Inflationary pressures With inflation currently running at 8.7pc (CPI), this is well above the Bank of Engl
Statutory licensing scheme plans for visitor accommodation in Wales have got the thumbs down from many holiday home owners, short-lets landlords and residents. The proposals, which will see all holiday homes, https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/tag/airbnb-landlords/" target=
Leasehold properties are becoming harder to sell due to escalating ground rents and limited lease terms, despite recent reform efforts.
Loopholes in the Renters Reform Bill around alternative possession grounds leave it open to abuse by unscrupulous landlords, claims a Labour activist and lawyer. A landlord will simply need to demonstrate an intention to use the property to live in or sell before they can
British landlords who use rental platforms to let holiday homes in the European Union will soon have to pay VAT on their rental income. Under the EUshttps://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/taxation-1/value-added-tax-vat/vat-digital-age_en" target="_blank" <strong
Most tenants want their landlords to be green and digital, a poll of some 2,000 renters has revealed. Despite debates about rental supply and rocketing rents dominating the public debate about the private rented sector, software firm MRIs poll found that two thirds want to in
